Strike halts Chevy production at General Motors Thailand Rayong factory

Striking workers have shut down General Motors (Thailand) Co. Rayong factory after managers added a Saturday shift without paying overtime.

About 5,000 walked off the job Feb. 8 in protest over the extra working day. G.M. executives declined any comment on the work stoppage, which has brought daily production of about 600 Chevrolet-branded vehicles at the Pluakdaeng plant a day to a halt.

Workers Union of G.M. representatives said employees valued their weekends, using the time to spend with family or attend school to further their qualifications in hopes of obtaining better positions at the factory. Requiring them to work Saturday at normal pay wasn’t worth the effort, they said.

Workers at the General Motors plant in Rayong have been on strike, demanding G.M. change their policy on weekend work.

Striking workers have had their pay cut, but the strike is far more costly to the automaker. During a 10-day strike at the Chevy plant in October 2009, General Motors estimated it lost about 200 million baht per day.